Damocles Pendulum
by SnowieBearSnarl
Summary: After the Fracturing of the Empire of Ozsteria, the land was swept with chaos. Only two bastions of order now exist in the region; Autumnae, ruled by the Queen of Fall, and to its northeast, Gefrorene ruled by the Schnee family. In the middle of the turmoil, four wandering knights led by Ruby Rose search for a worthy lord to serve. (Made in collaboration with PhoenixLord53)
1. Wayward Knights

_It's so hot…_ She thought tiredly to herself as she swallowed nothing in the vain hope that her parched mouth could quell her burning, dry throat. The hot midday sun beat down on her relentless from the cloudless sky above, her long scarlet colored chain-mail cloak and hood did little to shield her from the heat of the day and her armor grew progressively more uncomfortable and sweaty. A soft, exhausted sigh escaped her lips as she gripped the reins a little tighter, her hands gloved with gauntlets, a plate of black and red metal guarding the backs of each of her hands. She focused on the feeling of her sorrel steed breathing beneath her as it trodden faithfully along down the barren dirt path to keep her mind off of her thirst.

"We're running low on water." A woman spoke beside her from atop her roan horse, its coat chestnut colored with a subtle white tint.

"I know…" She muttered softly as she turned to the woman beside her. She was a beautiful distinctively tall and had long, flowing red hair and striking emerald eyes and a gold earring on one ear with a polished red bead hanging from its thin chain. She was clad in gold and red armor covering her chest and shoulders, leaving her arms bare while lower down she wore a cloth skirt that draped down like a sash on one side with bands of golden colored steel covering her thighs.

"What should we do?" She asked barely able to hold back the fretful tone behind her words.

"Don't worry Pyrrha," The cloaked woman said with a cheerful, reassuring voice. Slowly one of her hands left the reins and ascended up to her hood, red cloth mended underneath dense chain-mail. As she pulled her hood a bright and warm smile shined through and the gentle wind swept through her black hair, tipped a dark red and tied back in a ponytail that ran down to her mid back. Her eyes were a sparkling and brilliant silver that held at once gentleness and intensity in their mirror like surface and from her ear hung a thin gold chain with a polished and expertly cut ruby that glistened in the sun. "We'll be okay."

"Are you certain about that Ruby?" A teasing voice spoke up as a third horse, this one Palomino, its coat a dark gold and its mane and tail a brilliant blonde to match the stunningly beautiful woman that rode atop it with a playful smirk and mischievous lilac eyes. The woman wore little in the way of armor, only around her belly and back did any practical protection adorn her in the form of gold painted chain-mail hanging down from a tan leather jacket specially tailored for her, giving her mobility and modest protection around her stomach and where it cut off and her shoulders, draping down over her biceps with the yellow chain armor. From her hips she wore shorts and at her feet she wore leather boots the extended up to her knees. Lastly, from her ear hung a thin golden chain with a sparkling pale yellow gem at its end.

"Yes Sister, I'm certain." Ruby huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm your captain, I would never let anything happen to my team."

"I understand that but on the other hand, in addition to being nearly out of water, our rations are running very low. If we don't get some food soon we'll have to eat our horses." Yang licked her lips as she looked hungrily at her sister's steed.

"I'll have none of that!" Ruby cried out, her annoyance at her Sister's antics taking her mind thankfully further off of her hunger and thirst. With a warm, loving smile on her face Ruby leaned down, gently resting her head atop her horses as she patted its neck. "Don't you fret Gale, I won't let my sister harm one hair on your body, you're safe."

"I think you might be a little too fond of your horse Sister, it's unsettling." Yang chuckled at her sister's expense, but this time, her commander seemed unperturbed.

"Oh you're simply envious that she gets more affection than you." Ruby cooed softly, still cuddling up to her horse, its ears twitching as she played with them.

"Eh-hem, back to the situation at hand." Pyrrha interjected as Yang sat on her horse's back with her mouth open but no witty retort leaving her lips. Ruby had decisively won that round. "We're nearly out of food and water and I haven't seen you have a drink since last night."

"Whoa, is that true Ruby?" Yang gasped, her worry for her sister and leader showing in her soft lilac eyes as she frowned, knowing it was just like Ruby to neglect herself if she thought it would help the team.

"I am fine, as the captain it's my duty to put my team first. A single day without water won't be enough to kill me so you can calm yourselves." She knew she didn't sound convincing and the enticement of helping herself to just a few gulps of the water they had left had been eating away at her all day, but still, she was a knight, and she wouldn't give in so easily.

"Ruby, I know you are just being noble but you must to keep up your strength. We wouldn't have made it this far without you, your team needs you at your best so drink." Yang's tone was strong and reprimanding, she the only one who could always get away with treating the commanding officer of their team in such a way, even before the Fracturing.

"I…" For a moment, it looked like the commander would protest, sticking to what she thought was right, but as she gazed into her older sister's eyes pleading with her as they glistened with worry and love, she knew she could do nothing other than give in. "Very well, I'll have a drink."

"I knew that would work on you. My little sister can be so stubborn sometimes but you really can't help it when you're given that look." A snort of laughter left her lips as she tried and failed to contain her amusement at the annoyed look on her sister's face.

"Just pass me the canteen before I change my mind." She sighed in defeat but even so, a small and happy smile pulled at her lips.

"I hate to be the pessimist here but what are we going to do?" A young man's voice spoke up he rode up beside Ruby, Pyrrha making way for him to pass off the metal container that held their remaining water. He was a well built man with blonde hair tied off in a shorter ponytail than Ruby's. His armor was more appropriate for a knight of his station with a sword sheathed at his side and strong plate armor painted white with gold around its edges covering most of his body short of his head. His horse was white with a black mane and black fur around its hooves.

"Have some faith in me Jaune." Ruby smirked after gulping down several mouthfuls of water, the fresh, clean, life sustaining liquid quenching her throat and sending cool satisfaction washing over her. "According to the map we only have a short while to go before we reach the next town."

"Yes but we don't even have any money, what are we supposed to do?" Jaune's brow was furrowed with worry as he dreaded the day he would have to sell his armor just to buy bread. It had nearly happened several times but his leader always managed to pick them up from their lowest points.

"I'm sure something will come to me." She giggled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at her with unease, not entirely certain she wasn't joking.

"Um, I think something is coming to us right now." Yang blinked, making certain that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

Everyone turned, following the brawler's gaze and sure enough, someone was running towards them and he appeared to be in quite a hurry. A peasant by the looks of it and as he drew closer they could see the panic and terror in his eyes. Instantly, the four knights were on high alert, they couldn't but sure whether this man posed a threat or if he was leading a threat to them.

"Help! Help!" The man cried out between panting, labored breaths as she slowed to a stop before the four warriors. "Y-you! Are you knights!? Please you have to help, my village is being destroyed by monsters!"

"Calm yourself and tell us where you came from? How far is it?" Ruby's eyes were sharp and focused and her voice commanding as she looked down at the trembling man.

"J-just a long run from here ma'am! Please, you have to hurry, my home is being destroyed!" He was begging, pleading with tears in his eyes for the help of the young woman and her team but it was pointless, Ruby was convinced from the moment he cried for help.

"Yang, take Gale, I'm going on ahead!" Without hesitating for a moment Ruby jumped down from her horse, her red and silver breastplate glinting in the sunlight as her cloak opened up from the short fall.

"Ruby are you sure? We don't know what's out there and-"

 _ **Whooosh!**_

It was too late. In a blur of red Ruby had vanished, leaving nothing but a burst of rose petals and a powerful gust of wind in her wake.

"She never listens." Yang smiled as she shook her head, taking Gale's reins, tying them to her own securely. Ruby would be devastated if she lost her precious horse so she made certain that the mare was safe and secure.

"We need to follow her!" Jaune's blue eyes burned with a intensity and conviction, he would follow Ruby into combat anywhere but as much as the rest of the team he hated the idea of her fighting alone, no matter her immense skill.

"Let's move!" And just like Ruby, Pyrrha took off without another word, lashing her reins and sending her horse into a full on sprint after her leader with her two teammates following close behind.

* * *

Less than two minutes at her top speed and she could hear the screams of the people in town as they ran and fought for their lives against a vicious onslaught. She pushed herself and her Semblance, her heart pounding in her chest and adrenaline coursing through her veins as the screaming grew louder and louder. She gritted her teeth, tensing her body as she prepared for what came next.

At full speed Ruby launched herself over a small hill, flying forward into the air over the town, her heavy cloak flowing behind her like the burning red tail of a comet as she soared through the air, rose petals trailing behind her. From above she could see it all, it was a small village and nearly half of it was already destroyed by unnatural creatures, monsters that still plagued the countryside. Many were smaller, looking much like wolves with gray coats and glowing yellow eyes that walking on two legs like a man and had large, black claws and bone like protrusions growing through their pelts. However, Ruby's eyes were drawn to a large blue skinned serpent that writhed across the land heading directly towards the village.

With a soft, focused breath she relaxed her body and reached for her back, underneath her cape before. The air exploded as Ruby propelled herself down towards the ground, petals blowing away behind her as she raced to stop the encroaching monster before it met the village, with its size as long as the mightiest trees, it would be able to decimate the small settlement with ease. She braced her body for impact and then…

 **Boooom!**

The ground shook as dirt was sheared from the parched ground, a shockwave echoed through the town like thunder and the earth trembled at her landing, but even through the destructive forces at play, Ruby stood defiantly between the serpent and the village. With fierceness burning in her sharp silver eyes the young woman stepped out from the small crater she produced. In her left hand she held a unique sword, the weapon she designed herself, its blade long and curved inward in front of a central shaft with a gap in between, the razor sharp edge of the weapon extended all the way down past the hilt and on its other side, a much shorter, hook-like blade meeting its other half at a sharp and pointed tip.

The Serpent hissed, rumbling the ground and it approached before rearing up, its burning yellow eyes piercing into the small woman that stood so boldly before it. Its maw opened wide, its fangs dripping with venom as its body coiled, ready for a quick and deadly strike, but even so, the girl did not flinch.

Suddenly, a hot orange light burned in the beast's mouth as it took in a sharp inhale! In the next instant, a jet of flames spewed from its jaws, washing the ground below it in fire that scorched the ground and bathed the small girl in a raging inferno that persisted, the monster's malice and rage that it was the incarnation of palpable in every flicker of the flames that it focused on the woman that defied it!

Then, in a powerful gust of air, the flames were banished, embers flying in all directions as Ruby burst from the cover of her cape that protected her from the fire, the force of her flourish blowing away its attack and leaving nothing behind but smoldering rose petals and a very terrifying young woman who stood amidst a small sea of fire without fear or even rage. The girl walked forward, with a swing of her sword she snuffed out the fires before her, clearing her path as she moved calmly but intensely forward.

The beast let out a loud, threatening hiss, backing away at the woman's encroach as she reached reached up to the inner shaft of her blade where a rod of shining steel protruded from its unloaded side. Without taking her eyes off the beast for a moment, she pulled down hard on the rod, suddenly extending the length of the shaft and sending the two halves of the blade up forming an immensely terrifying and deadly scythe!

"I am Ruby Rose, youngest Grand Knight to ever be ordained in the former Empire of Ozsteria and as a knight, I am sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves." A confident smirk appeared on her lips as she walked forward, dragging her scythe along the scorched ground.

With a dark and powerful hiss the serpent gave no more ground, rearing its head back and opening its dripping fangs the monster struck with blinding speed, snapping its jaws down at the girl… but it was futile, its large head was knocked away by a twirl of her large scythe, its menacing blade cutting through its flesh, revealing to be nothing more than a thin veneer beneath which only an unnatural blackness lies.

"I will not let you harm these people…" With a cold and soft whisper, she vanished, leaving behind a flurry of scarlet petals as she almost instantly flew up into the air above the monster's head, the beast confusedly scouring the ground for her as she reared back her scythe. It was over in an instant, rose petals flew from the back of the weapon as she channeled her Semblance through her scythe, propelling it at speeds her muscles could never hope to and effortlessly cutting the beast's head clean off in a single strike before falling to the ground amidst its rapidly evaporating corpse. _I hope Yang and the other's are here, cleaning up the weaker ones will take too long by myself, they need to protect the villagers._

Her grip tightened around the hot metal shaft of her scythe as she turned around, the serpent's body nearly gone as it vanished into black smoke. Her heartbeat was steady and her breaths soft as she walked into the town where she could still hear the screams of its citizens.

"Die you foul waste!" Yang screamed belligerently as she beat a standing wolf creature taller than herself with her metal knuckled gauntlets, her eyes burned a deep crimson and a hot yellow energy burning from all around her body.

"I said die!" With a final scream a blade shot out from her gauntlet atop her wrist, extending her reach by half her arm's length as she punched with the pointed tip, stabbing the monster through the skull before the sheer force of her strike blew its head apart in a haze of black smoke.

"Get away from them!" Jaune cried out defiantly as he rushed one of the wolf-like creatures, slamming into it with his shield, stoppings its pursuit of fleeing townsfolk and hurting it enough for elicit a cry of pain from before he decapitated it with a single slash of his sword.

"Last one!" Pyrrha reported while chasing the last wolf monster now fleeing the town, her team already having made short work of the weaker beasts. With a powerful swing of her arm Pyrrha let her round, bladed shield fly, stabbing the creature in the in the back, forcing it to yelp in agony. With her emerald gaze focused she enveloped her shield in her Semblance, bending the metal to her will as she ripped it from its hide and then slammed it down into its neck before leaping forward and stabbing it through its back with her spear!

With a long sigh Pyrrha withdrew her spear and brought her shield back to her arm as the monster's body faded away. Turning around she saw Jaune and Yang also coming down of the high of battle, Jaune sheathing his sword and Yang retracting her blades, all looking pretty worn out… except their leader who walked up to them with a proud and relieved smile.

"I'm glad you all arrived in time." Their leader grinned happily as she joined her friends. "Well that was enjoyable! Good practice, we can't afford to be getting rusty or complacent, we are knights after all!"

"Sister, I think you enjoy this perhaps too much." Yang sighed, thankful everyone was okay and no one in the village seemed hurt but but concerned with her sister's love of the fight.

"Nonsense, how can you enjoy it too much when it's a positive thing! We helped people here today, we should rejoice in that, we've won the battle, so now we get to celebrate, just like old times!" A bright, warm smile that shined like the sun and overwhelmed Yang's weariness of her sister's over the top personality. She was a good leader and a good person, one of the few sparkling gems of humanity left after the Fracturing in which their home fell apart. At least, that's how Yang saw her.

"Very well, you've worn me down." Yang conceded with a half smile. "Let's get drunk off our arses."

"Again, I hate to be the one to say this but we still don't have any money and it doesn't look like this village has much to spare." Jaune looked around, at least half the buildings were damaged, thankfully it seemed there was no loss of life, but still, they would need their resources to rebuild.

"Okay, so maybe it won't be a large affair with plenty of booze but we're out of food and drink, both the fun kind and the not. We saved their lives, surely they can provide us with something." Yang looked less than pleased, almost annoyed at Jaune for stating the obvious, but more annoyed at herself for not thinking of the villagers first.

"Excuse me good knights." An elderly man approached them slowly with his hands on a roughly made wooden cane. He was short with blue eyes, one pupil clouded and had long white hair and a scruffy beard. "Those earrings you're wearing, are you knights left over from Ozsteria?"

"Oh, um, yes! Thank you for noticing." Ruby blushed slightly, playing with the flawless ruby hanging from her ear, a symbol of her station.

"W-wait, you mean the cursed knights who sold their soul to the Warlock King for power derived from black magic!?" A younger man from the village looked terrified, having witnessed their immense power and now knowing they were part of the kingdom that fell. Ruby could only imagine the rumors he must have heard about her former lord.

"I guarantee you Sir that we very much do still have our souls." The captain glared at him, trying to suppress her irritation.

"We just saved your lives, be grateful you didn't become feed for the monsters peasant." Yang growled, stepping protectively between the man and her sister with her teeth bared.

"Sister, there's no need for that. We did not come to make enemies." With a gentle touch to her toned, muscular shoulder Ruby calmed the rage in Yang and with a bitter huff the brawler backed away leaving Ruby smiling at the men before her.

"On behalf of my team, I would like to ask you for your assistance. We've traveled a long way and still have a long journey yet ahead of us. We're low on rations and supplies and have no money. Please, do us the kindness of feeding and sheltering us for a time, in our stay we will work to help rebuild your village as recompense." With the softest, kindest smile she folded her scythe, turning it back into a sword as she knelt down on one knee with her blade stabbed into the ground in front of her. "Please… my team, my family is hungry. We need help."

"You do not need to take a knee for someone of my stature good knight." The old man smiled, bowing his head. "I am not oblivious to what you have done, my home might have suffered a terrible loss that could not be rebuilt if you had not intervened on our behalf. Whatever you may require, we will provide within our means."

"My eternal gratitude kind Sir!" Ruby beamed as she stood up, sheathing her sword behind her cape. "Still, once we are fed and rested, we shall help you rebuild. It's a knight's duty to help those in need."

"We would be most thankful for any help you may be willing to offer." He bowed again, this time bending his stiff, old back to show the extent of his gratitude. "The local tavern was unharmed during the attack, I'm certain they will be more than accommodating and may even have a place for you to sleep."

"That would be most appreciated." Yang wore a thankful but more eager smile, ready to drink and be merry after a battle.

"Come, it's right this way." The old man turned, gesturing for them to follow. With hope and relief in their hearts, the four knights followed. As Ruby had said, it all worked out.

* * *

"We need to figure out our next move." Ruby mumbled as she looked into her mug, her ale half gone and her head beginning to feel a fuzzy.

"Oh yes? And what might that be?" Yang hummed with a stupid grin on her face, already having gone through three mugs of mead and was currently working her way through her fourth.

"Well, we have two options. Ozpin is gone, we've spent the better part of the last two years searching for him all over the former central state of Ozsteria and we couldn't find a thing. Romillia is now but ruins. The options before us are thus; We proceed on course to Autumnae or we go further north to Gefrorene." She wasn't happy with either options, but they were the only two states still stable after the Fracturing that tore the Empire of Ozsteria apart into disparate states, most squabbling for power and crushing the citizens in their mad dash for the throne.

"Gefrorene is ruled by the Schnee barons whose patriarch Jacques Schnee now calls himself king of the newly formed country." Jaune took a sip of his beer, his spirits down at the reminiscing of their lost lord.

"And Autumnae is bordering it to the south west and is ruled by the Queen Cinder Fall. She's an unknown, rose up from nowhere to take power after the Fracturing and has secured it ever since unlike anyone other than the Schnees." Pyrrha's drink of choice was red wine which she savored with every sip.

"I'd vote for Autumnae in all honesty." Ruby muttered, chugging the last half of her ale before dropping the mug down on the table that sat around. "I've met the Schnees before, I don't like Jacques."

"At least we would be aware of whose toes we would be stepping on." Jaune playing the voice of reason again, though that's what Ruby counted on from him.

"That's true, the Queen is an unknown but I hear that her people are happy for the most part. I want to see that for myself." Ever since Ozsteria crumbled and Romillia was burned to the ground, they had encountered few thriving places. It was unspoken between the four of them but without a righteous leader to follow, they felt purposeless as knights… or rather, they would, if Ruby's indomitable sense of honor and chivalry didn't keep them on the right path at all times.

"If you going I go…" Yang giggled, throwing her arm around her sister, pulling Ruby in close as her drink sloshed around in her mug.

"I'm of like mind with Yang, I will follow your lead captain." Pyrrha raised her glass to Ruby with a relaxed smile.

"You've yet to lead us astray, I will follow wherever you go." Jaune gave a certain and affirming nod, raising his mug to her.

"Then we set off for Autumnae in first thing in the morning." It was warm… the smiles of her friends, Yang's a little too rough hug, the fire crackling nearby, the alcohol sitting in her belly. It was all warm and it was nice. _Maybe after one more drink._


	2. A Treacherous Game

Soft white light of the rising sun streamed in through the large, ornate arched windows lining the stone hall that cut through the courtyard of her castle. Birds chirped from the trees and the aroma of flowers from the gardens dotting the courtyard gave the air a sweet fragrance that was the most pleasant and peaceful way to start the morning.

Begrudgingly, she knew that's exactly what she would have to do; start her morning. Her amber eyes were dull and weary but even so she was stunningly elegant and poised, her hair largely swept to one side with stray locks giving the other an asymmetrical beauty. With a soft sigh a young woman dressed in the finest robes glad in swathes of red and gold, her dress a unique mix of elegance and comfort as it had nothing but black frills at its shoulders, leaving her arms bare. Around her lower abdomen was a black and corest with scarlet ribbon tying it tight around her ending in a perfectly centered bow at her ribcage above a band of gold dyed into her dress. Her dress flowed down from her hip where it was tied with a black sash that burned to a gradient of red at its end hung down nearly to the floor with exotic blue feathers adorning its knot at her waist.

"Your Highness!" A man called out as he ran down the hall from behind her, the woman's aggravation spiking as her fleeting moment of peace was stolen from her.

"Yes Rexxie?" It took everything Cinder had to not groan at her attendant's interruption. "I do hope it's something pressing and relevant enough to disturb my only moment of tranquility before I go about the doldrums of rule."

"Yes your Highness." The man bowed, his sparkling blue eyes deeply apologetic with a hint of fear mixed in. "You wanted to know as soon as we got word about the knights from the former Empire of Ozsteria."

"Oh, so that's what this is about. Do tell me, I would be delighted to start my morning off with good news for a change." Cinder was grinning now, that terrifyingly cunning smirk and the sparks of wile and excitement in her deep amber eyes.

"They are proceeding towards the border at appreciable haste of their own volition. They should reach Rhone in three days time if they don't take any detours your Highness." He completed his report, bowing lower before slowly and gingerly standing up straight with his hands behind his back.

"Oh, that is good news, I had feared they would change course and instead ride for Gefrorene. So, from there it should take them another week to reach us in the capitol." One could just see the gears turning in her mind as her face lit up with anticipation. With a chilling grin on her lips she turned around, her heels clicking against the stone floor as she walked down the halls feeling freshly invigorated by the news.

 _This is excellent, the Knights of Ozsteria coming to my land, with the Blooded Rose leading them no less. Truly a living legend on the battlefield and one of the closest confidants to the former Emperor. A Grand Knight, someone who is bestowed with great power by the immortal lord of the largest empire to ever swallow up the land. We must ensure everything is perfect for their arrival._ So caught up in her mind, sorting through possibilities at speeds unimaginable to most she didn't even realize she had began laughing softly to herself with excitement.

"Also, your Highness, our other guests have just arrived, they await you in the throne room." Rexxie added, walking several paces behind the queen.

"So, they're here as well, things seem to falling into my lap this day. Well, I suppose it wouldn't do to keep them waiting. Get the preparations ready for this evening, make it fitting for our guests, they've come such a long way." She couldn't help but snicker, never looking back to her underling as she came to a stop at the large, heavy wooden doors leading her to her throne.

"At once your Highness." With one more deep and respectful bow, leaving his Queen as he fulfilled her wishes.

 _This will be dull until the Blooded Rose of the Crusades comes to my doorstep, I don't have high hopes for my current guests. Oh the things I must endure for my people._ With a soft sigh she banished her halfhearted smile, putting on a look of cold and intense authority and cunning. As she built up the necessary facade to deal with such people as her guests she so lamented having to jump through hoops to attain her ends. Swallowing her personal feelings, Cinder grabbed the shiny brass handle on the door and pushed it open.

"Presenting, her Royal Highness, first ruler of Autumnae, Queen Cinder Fall." Quite a bombastic proclamation of her arrival from her subordinates, but in certain things a queen must have dramatic flare. Dramatic it was, she had a dozen of her ceremonial guard, six on each side of the throne room standing at attention while a young Faunus boy with a horn protruding from his forehead strummed melodically on his lute, filling the room with soft music.

Cinder strode in with grace and poise, her long dress tapered on one side dragging along the stone floor as she walked forward, not once turning her head to her guests until she stood in front of her throne, coming to a stop and looking down at the group of three kneeling before her. _Very well, I suppose I may as well get this over with._

"You may rise." Cinder was barely able to contain her unenthusiasm the three before her rose to their feet.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Queen Cinder Fall." The older man smiled with one arm across his chest, a gesture of respect in his land. He and his family all had white hair, a distinctive trait of the lineage though only the children inherited it while the man aged into his white hair. He wore a lavish white coat lined with fur and had gem encrusted cuffs with a red handkerchief neatly folded into a front pocket.

"The feeling is mutual, King Schnee of Gefrorene." Her expression was neutral and placid as she curtsied before walking down the few carved stone steps to greet her guests in person.

"This is my son Whitley, a fine young man from a good lineage with a good head for leadership." The father preened as he gestured with a subtle jerk of his head, commanding the young man no more than a teen to step forward.

"It is an honor and a pleasure to finally meet you your Grace." The boy gave an amiable grin and bowed respectfully, however, Cinder's piercing gaze was fixed on the boy's soft blues. It took her but a moment to size him up, few had her powers of perception, her ability to read people with merely a glance. The boy and his father were cut from the same cloth, the boy wearing a mask to hide his intentions and his ambitions but she could see the hunger in his eyes.

"An honor… yes, indeed." She said absently, raising her hand up as was custom, letting the boy take her hand in his, raising it up to his lips before gently kissing the back of her hand. _So, this is the suitor you present to me Jacques? I'm disappointed, not surprised, but I had hoped for something more than his father. How dull, how transparent, you and your ilk are all alike aren't you, scheming and planning for power for your own gain as a means to an end, that end being nothing more than satisfying your increasingly lavish lifestyle… how dull._

"And this is my daughter." His tone changed dramatically from when he was gushing over his son as he turned to face the girl at his left side.

"It's truly an honor, your Highness." The girl bowed her head and curtsied, subtly but gracefully, every slight movement of her body was as though it had determined purpose holding great elegance that must have taken extreme discipline to master.

Cinder walked over to the young woman, her eyes focused entirely on the daughter, the Princess of Gefrorene. She was a distinctive kind of beautiful, the princess had long white hair hanging down from one side and held in a small bun by an ornate pin. Her skin pale marred only by a single thin scar along her right eye and soft and her features delicate. Her white hair and light, glacier blue eyes gave her the purity and cold splendor of a falling snowflake. Her dress was as white as the tundra, hanging from her shoulders from frilled straps and draping down to her ankles, simple, comfortable and on that girl, Cinder couldn't help but stare for a moment longer than intended.

"It's charming to meeting you as well, Princess of Gefrorene. Please, I haven't had the pleasure of hearing your name." Cinder smiled more softly, her gaze looking deep into the girl's eyes as she did with the boy. She was different, it only took her an instant to know that, in her eyes was no deceit or hunger, but rather a desire, something deep within that Cinder couldn't quite grasp, but it was strong and it was honest, yearning for something far greater than wealth or power.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, your Grace." She dipped her head once more but was taken aback as Cinder raised her hand in offering to her with an intrigued smile. Weiss reached her hand slowly out towards the Queen's, hesitating briefly, her eyes almost glancing over to her father before a small fire lit within them, compelling her to take the Queen's hand in her own, confidently raising it up to her soft, warm lips as she gently kissed the back of Cinder's hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Weiss Schnee." With a bright and pleased smile she was amused to see the princess grow flustered as she pulled her hand away.

"T-The honor is all mine your Grace!" She insisted, bowing deeply before standing back up with the most adorable pink tinting her cheeks, eliciting an unintentionally genuine soft giggle to escape the queen.

"Eh-hem, yes, I am sure you're all tired from your long journey here." Cinder shook herself back into composure, pulling her eyes off of Weiss and bringing them back to the patriarch of the family. "My attendants will show you to your quarters, I'm sure they'll be to your liking."

"Indeed the children are weary, the girl especially, as frail as the first snowfall of the year my daughter." He stepped forward, literally overshadowing his daughter, standing between Weiss and the queen.

"Well, after you recover, there will be lavish feast and dance to celebrate your arrival appropriately. I do look forward to your attendance… all of you." Cinder stepped aside ever so slightly, bringing the princess back into view.

"Splendid, we are most certainly look forward to it." With one more bow, this time smaller and with more brevity, Cinder imagined intentionally so, Jacques Schnee turned around and began walking out of the throne room. As he walked away, his children followed, the son giving no heed to the Queen after his back was turned, but the princess, Weiss Schnee, giving one last curious look back. A small and fleeting smile formed from Weiss' lips before it vanished, her eyes growing almost forlorn as she turned to face her father in front of her as they were led out from the massive wooden doors.

 _What a pathetic man, it's no wonder why is son turned out the same… but the girl is interesting. Maybe this will be entertaining after all._ She felt particularly pleased, she had expected so little from the Schnee family only to find a possible gem amidst the usurpers and schemers. The princess was someone she intended to keep an eye on, very few people intrigued her so. _The Princess of Gefrorene and the Blooded Rose of the Crusades, things are moving quickly and I can not wait to see how they end._

"You there, boy." Cinder turned to the Faunus child playing the lute which instantly stopped the moment she got his attention. "I'm in a particularly good mood. You may have the rest of the day to yourself."

"Y-Yes your Highness!" The boy looked beyond terrified as he dropped his lute, seeming to try very hard not to bolt for the door as he walked hurriedly by Cinder with his head down.

 _That's right, run along little spy, go, tell your superiors whatever you want. Tell them that the Schnee are here in my country. Bring them to me, it wouldn't be fair for them to miss all the excitement to come. They're as honored guests in my castle as the Blooded Rose and the Schnees, even if they don't know it._

* * *

Vibrant and upbeat music filled the ballroom of the castle, lit by torches lining walls and pillars, reflected down by specifically designed mirrors to focus the warm light down to the dance floor so that even in the darkness of night, the room was lit up almost as though the sun were still high in the sky.

The ballroom was filled with people, guests and residents of the castle, nobles and diplomats and servants taking time off from their work to enjoy the festivities at the Queen's behest and much to their delight. Everyone, it seemed, was enjoying themselves, the party was indeed lavish and opulent and the smell of delicious food hung in the air, freshly cooked game and locally raised meats mingled with the scents of food foreign to her land in honor of her guests from the northeast. Still, amidst all the fun, food and festivities, at least one person was not having the night of their lives… the Queen herself.

Instead, Cinder watched from her position on the throne, raised up above the rest of the floor by several steps so she could overlook the whole event with a tired look in her amber eyes. She sat, her head resting in her hand propped up against the arm of her throne by her elbow. Perhaps not the most Queenly way to sit, but it was slightly more comfortable than not. _I detest how hard these chairs are. Even with padding they're not particularly easy on my back or arse. I'm the Queen, why can I not change out the thrones for something more comfortable? Okay, I'll just… I'll just put that on the list of clearly urgent matters I must attend to._

"Your Grace, may you do me the honor of asking share this dance with you?" A boy with white hair and a nauseatingly fake smile bowed before her with his hand extended out.

"Oh… you." She said before thinking, worrying for a moment about her tone but then remembering the uncouth display his father presented as he left her earlier. "My apologies Prince Whitley but I am not feeling quite up to dancing. Go, eat drink and be merry, this event is in the honor of your family's arrival to my kingdom."

"If you insist, your Highness." He bowed out with obvious displeasure on his lips and in his eyes, but knowing better than to push the Queen after she had given her answer.

 _I can see that he's a persistent child. Jacques expects me to marry this boy? Let a wolf into my bed? Preposterous!_ An anger she had worked long and hard to cultivate into cold, calculating fury was beginning to regress as a fire burned in her chest.

 _Too bad the choice is not mine to make._ She thought to herself, her depression and listlessness from the reality of her situation snuffing out the flames of rage in her heart. _Gefrorene is far too powerful and the Schnees are far too power hungry. They're raping their land and exploiting their people, but that means they have the resources and the manpower in just their slave forces alone to dominate if a battle ever broke out between our countries. No, I need to keep a level head, the pieces are falling into place. Just a little bit longer and I will have the necessary means to change everything._

"In the meantime… a drink wouldn't hurt." She laughed softly and bitterly to herself as she forced herself up, walking away from her throne with no fanfare as she made her way over to the nearest table. _A marriage to absorb me into his family and take Autumnae for himself, making it part of Gefrorene. I would be nothing more than a political tool and once my usefulness has ended, I'll be discarded much like the matriarch of the Schnees. Well, if they want to use me as a political tool to gain my land, I will use myself as bait. As long as they think they have a chance, they will persist on this course. War is costly even if they win, a marriage is simple and cheap, a common tool of nobility… it sickens me._

With a long, exhausted breath she tried her best to let go of her tension, slowly her heart and clearing her mind. She knew it would do no good to succumb to the stress of her position so early on when there was still so much to be done. Even so, she craved a drink or several, desiring the escape that the alcohol would provide during this dreadfully dreary party. However, as she navigated through the throngs of dancers, her eyes were taken in by a head of long pure white hair standing over the long table staring down at the drinks before her, her hands held in front of her, obscured by her back that was turned to the Queen.

"If I may make a recommendation." Cinder spoke up only inches away from the girl, grinning in amusement as the girl flinched and twirled to face her.

"Your Majesty, I didn't notice your approach, forgive me." She lowered her head but Cinder couldn't help but notice the small, subdued smirk on her lips, she could only imagine the princess was as amused her by own startled reaction as the Queen was.

"Think nothing of it dear Princess." Cinder waved away her fret with a warm and genuine smile. "If you're deliberating on which drink to partake in, you've not lived until you've savored wine grown in the Rhone region of my fair country, our soil is second to none for growing the finest grapes. I personally think the red wine produced there is the most delectable drink of all. Shall I pour you a glass?"

"You needn't pour a drink for me, you're the Queen, I should be offering to accommodate you!" A side of the princess that Cinder had not seen before; Pride, strength, conviction, passion. If fire could possibly be cold her eyes held that quality, Cinder found herself only growing more intrigued by the girl, the strength brimming in her eyes and voice, it was quite enticing in and of itself.

"Nonsense, you're a guest in my country and I will treat you accordingly. Now, will you allow me to pour you a drink, Princess Weiss Schnee?" Cinder stepped forward, her amber gaze never faltering from Weiss' for even a moment as she stood over her with a pleased smile, reaching towards the table for the glass bottle of red wine while the girl's cheeks burned with a soft pink.

"If that is what you wish… you Majesty." Weiss was barely coherent as she stared up into those striking and piercing eyes of the Queen. The way she looked and the way she behaved, it was nothing like her father, there was a definite hunger and cunning in her gaze and a deviousness to her smile but there was something, as though everything Weiss was seeing was just a thin painting on the surface of something so much deeper and richer.

"It is what I wish." She giggled softly, handing a fine glass to the Princess, Weiss holding it delicately in her slender fingers as Cinder slowly poured the glass before pouring one for herself and corking the bottle back up. "Shall we toast?"

"What do you propose we toast to?" Weiss tilted her head slightly but now with a warm and comfortable smile on her lips as she relaxed, more intrigued than anything else by the Queen of the country neighboring hers to the southwest.

"To meeting interesting people." With a grin exuding more feelings than Weiss could comprehend in the short time she had and in the flustered state she was in, Cinder raised her glass to the princess, waiting patiently for her to reciprocate.

"Yes… to meeting interesting people." Weiss was practically beaming as she stared up at the Queen. She found herself having almost instant admiration and respect, she could see the strength the Queen had. There were few women ruling countries of their own and Cinder Fall seemed to be an adept ruler. _I'm happy that she wants to speak to me. I think she is very interesting as well._

 **Clink!**

* * *

It was dark, barely any light illuminated the room save for a single, flickering candle burning slowly away as wax dripped down its sides. The vague silhouettes of figures sat all around the room, however, from their perspective, their comrades were perfectly visible. They, after all, were not human, no, rather, they were the Faunus, the other species in the world, abused and exploited by the humans. The men and women in the room wore wooden masks carved to look like those of monsters and all had a single animal feature to distinguish them from humans and all had exceptional vision in the darkness.

Around twenty masked men and women sat around on the floor of the dark room on mats separating them from the cold, hard floor. At the center of the room, closest to the candle, a man with dark red hair and horns protruding from the top of his head sat in solemn silence, his hand on the hilt of the sword that he had… procured, from a merchant from an island to the far east.

"They've arrived." A man whispered from the darkness, relaying the information that had been disseminated through the ranks of their organization, finally making their way to the ears of one of the most powerful faunus in the world.

"Good. Have Blake make her way to Parisiah where the Schnee filth are waiting." The malice and hatred in his voice were palpable as he gripped the hilt of his katana even tighter.

"She's a week's journey from the capital of Autumnae, she's been keeping to the shadows in the outer lands near the border." The man responded calmly, though with a hint of fear as Adam's anger rose.

"It matters not, The Schnees will still be there and by the time we're ready to strike, there will be no recourse left to them but to fall… and die."


End file.
